Internal-combustion engine.



G. B. BALDWIN.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED-JAN. 26, 1910.

Patented June27, 1911-.

2 SHEETS+SHEET 1.

"Lir

THE NGRRIS PETERS 00., wAsnmm'cN. 0. c,

G. 'B. BALDWIN. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26. 1910.

Patented June 27, 1911.

2 SHBET8-BHBET 2.

M-QM

0., WASHINGTON, 01c,

ATS

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2'7, 1911.

Application filed January 26, 1910. Serial No. 540,136.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. BALDWIN citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in internal combustion engines, especially marine engines of this class.

In internal combustion engines of the ma rine type it is desirable that their control be such that the operator may be able at will to positively cause the vessel in which the engine is installed to move forward or backward or to stop without stopping the engine. This is usually accomplished by the use of gears or other similar cumbersome and expensive devices attached to the shaft or propeller.

My invention is intended to accomplish these results without the use of such cumbersome and expensive devices, and preferably by mechanism constituting a simple attachment to the parts ordinarily found in engines of this class; the main object of my invention being to provide a simple mechanism by means of which the operator may control the sparking point in such a manner that the resulting ignition of the charge may cause either a continued forward or a continued backward movement of the engine, or alternating forward and backward movements of said engine following one another in quick succession without stoppage of the engine.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a simple single-cylinder internal combustion engine of the marine type, with my improvements applied thereto, and shows one position of the sparking devices. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional end elevation of the principal devices for controlling ignition in such an engine, and illustrates my improvements in a different position from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa sectional side elevation of the same parts in the positions they occupy in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts in the positions they occupy at the moment of reversal of the engine. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail and side elevation of a portion of the same, the view corresponding to Fig. 3, and illustrates the parts in the positions they occupy in Fig. 4.

Similar reference characters designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 2 designates an ordinary singlecylinder internal combustion engine of well-known type, having the usual piston 3 and operated from a crankshaft 4 by means of a piston-rod or connecting-rod 5, the crank-shaft carrying at its end the usual fly-wheel 6, and the cylinder of the engine having at one end thereof a spark-plug 7 cooperating with suitable devices for controlling the point of ignition or sparking, all these elements being of wellknown construction, and those illustrated being merely typical of what may be used in connection with the devices hereinafter to be described. In connection with these I may employ any well-known .or suitable mechanism for effecting sparking and for controlling the point at which sparking and ignition of the charge in the engine takes place. The devices illustrated are, how ever, a simple type of spark-controlling means, and though other types of such mechanisms may be employed, these are illustrated as a matter of convenience and will be briefly described. The devices shown comprise an eccentrica'od 8 mounted on an eccentric on the crank-shaft a and connected at its upper end with a sparlecontrolling slide 9 mounted to work in suitable guides 10 and 11 on the outside of the engine casing. Near its upper end the slide 9 carries a pivoted latch 12 normally pressed by a spring 13 inwardly toward the slide, this atch serving to control the operation of a plunger or hammer 14: forming part of a quick let-off device for effecting sparking. This plunger la is mounted and slides on the upper reduced end of the slide 9, the extreme upper end of which works in the guide 15. Between a collar 16 on said plunger, and the guide 15 a. strong spring 17 is interposed, which normally tends to force said plunger downward into engagement with a rock-arm 18 secured to a rock-shaft- 19 extending through a bearing in the engine-wall into the interior of the engine-cylinder and carrying at its inner end a rocking contact device or terminal 20 cooperative with the fixed terminal of the sparkplug 7 for the purpose of producing the spark to ignite the charge in the engine cylinder.

The end of the rockarm 18 is normally held up in the position shown in Fig. 2 by a spring, such as 21, mounted on apost 22 on the engine-casing, this spring being weaker than the spring 17 in order that said rock-arm may be depressed to form the spark whenever the plunger 14 is released by the latch 12, which latch is normally in position to engage the under side of said plunger and put the spring 17 under compression when the latch reaches the proper point to engage said plunger in the ascent of the slide 9.

Adjacent to the latch 12 is a latch-tripping device, indicated at 23, which is or may be merely a stop fixed on the engine casing in proper position to be struck by the tail of the latch 12 at the proper point in the ascent of the slide and release said latch. The parts so far described constitute the means for normally effecting ignition by forming a spark at the same point in each cycle of operations of the engine, the latch 12 on the ascent of the slide 9 engaging the under side of the plunger 14, raising it and putting the spring under compression, at the same time permitting the spring 21 to become effective to raise the free end of the rock-arm 18, turn the rock-shaft 19, and bring the movable contact or terminal 20 into en gagement with the fixed contact of the spark-plug 7; after which and after the lower end of the plunger 14 has been raised above the free end of the rock-arm 18, the tail of the lat-ch 12 strikes the trip 23 and the latch is withdrawn from engagement with the plunger 14, thereby permitting the spring 17 thus suddenly released to become effective to actuate the plunger 14, which plunger, owing to the quick let-off action of the latch, strikes the rockshaft a sharp blow and breaks the contact at the sparkplug suddenly in opposition to the power exerted by the spring 21. This action occurs in the operation of the devices just described at the same point in the cycle of movements of the engine. In connection with these devices, or any equivalent mechanism, I employ means for changing the sparking point and effecting sparking, and consequent ignition of the charge, at a different point, this point being one at which the resulting ignition or explosion of the engine charge will cause the reversal of the operation of the engine. By the operation of the means provided by me the sparking point is so shifted that ignition takes place while the engine. is running in agiven di rection and before the crank and connecting-rod have reached their dead-center or straight-line position, the power developed by the ignition or explosion of the charge serving to reverse the direction of movement of said crank and connecting-rod considerably in advance of such dead-center position. The particular means employed by me to accomplish this result may be any suitable for the purpose. In the construction illustrated I have shown at24 a second latch which in the normal operation of the engine is held out of action, as for example, by means of a spring-pressed detent 25 carried on the guide 11 and normally in engagement with a recess 27 in said latch. hen, however, it is desired to make use of this latch 24, it is shifted to the position shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, said movement being effected in the present case by a spring 28 whenever the detent 25 is withdrawn from the notch 27 and positively held out of said notch. This latch is pivoted atany suitable point, such as 29, on the frame or casing of the engine and is so constructed and positioned as to engage the under side of the plunger 14 after said plunger has been raised a considerable distance by the latch 12 but before said plunger is released by said latch 12. In the construction illustrated the upper end of the latch 24 slips under the collar of said plunger at the proper moment in the ascent of the slide 9, that is, at the moment of contact of the sparking terminals, and holds the plunger in that position after the latch12 is released by the trip 23. In such case, however, the tripping of the latch'12 is ineffective to bring about the release of the plunger 14 and the formation of the spark, as the plunger is still held up, but by the latch 24. This latch 24 continues to hold up said plun ger 14 and thereby maintain the contact of the spark terminals while the slide 9 is given a down and up stroke by the continued action of the engine under its momentum. During said down stroke of the slide, when the latch 12 is clear of its trip 23 it returns to its normal posit-ion under the influence of the spring 13 and, operating as a by-pass device, rides at its free end over a projection 30 on the latch 24. Following such down stroke of the slide, during which no ignition of the charge in the engine cylinder takes place, the up stroke of the slide begins and continues until the nose of the latch 12 strikes the projection 30 of the latch 24 and, operating as a tripper, forces said latch 24 out of engagement with the plunger 14 and releases said plunger at a point in advance of that at which such releaseis effected by the latch 12 in the normal operation of the spark mechanism. The point at which the release of the latch 24 occurs is indicated in Fig. 4 at 81, that is, considerably in advance of the dead-center or straight-line position of the crank t of the crankshaft. Sparking and ignition consequently take place considerably earlier than they do in the normal operation of the engine, and while the charge is less highly compressed than it is normally, thereby reducing the strain on the difierent parts of the engine. The ignition of the charge results in forcing the piston downward when the crank and its connecting-rod are in the position shown in F ig. 4L, whereupon the crank-shaft, which had been rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, is caused to travel in the reverse direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4.

For the purpose of releasing the detent 25 from the notch 27, I may make use of a releasing device such as the slide 32 working in a guide 33 on the engine casing. This slide may have one or more notches 34: and 35 therein co-acting with a projection 36 at the bottom of a notch 37 in the detent pin 25. It will be obvious that when the projection 36 is in either of the notches 34 or 35 the detent 25 will be forced upward by its spring into the notch 27 of the latch 24 and hold the latter in its inoperative position, and that when the slide 32 is pushed into the position shown in Figs. 2 and at said detent will be drawn down out of said notch. A single notch 34; in the releasing device 32 is of course sufficient, but the second notch 35 is provided for the purpose of enabling the operator to shift the detent 25 as quickly as possible from its unlocked to its locking position. By means of this slide 32 the operation of the engine may be re versed only a single time and the engine permitted to continue operating in such re verse direction for an indefinite length of time, or a succession of rapid reversals of the engine may be brought about by quickly shifting the slide 32 from one position to another. Through suitable connect-ions the slide 32 may be operated from any desired position in a boat or other place to control the action of the engine.

What I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, a piston and a pistonrod, the combination of a spark-controlling slide governed by the crank-shaft, a springactuated sparking device the spring of which is adapted to be put under tension by said slide, a slide-actuated quick let-off latch governing the operation of said sparking device, a trip for said latch, and a second quick let-off latch normally out of action and controlling the release of said sparking device and having a diiferent letotf point from said first latch.

2. In an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, a piston and a pistonrod, the combination of a spark-controlling slide governed by the crankshaft, a springactuated sparking device the spring of which is adapted to be put under tension by said slide, and separate latches governed by said slide, one being normally in action and controlling one sparking point and the other being normally out of action and controlling when in action a different sparking point.

3. In an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, a piston and a piston rod, the combination with a sparking device having a movable element, of a pair of spark-controlling devices controlled by the crank-shaft and governing the operation of said movable element of the sparking device, one of said controlling devices being normally in action and the other normally out of action but operative when in action for producing a spark earlier in the cycle than said first controlling device and at such a point as will bring about the reversal of the engine.

4. In an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, a piston and a pistonrod, the combination with a sparking device having a movable element, and a quick letoif device for actuating said movable element to form the spark, of a pair of sparkcontrolling devices for releasing said quick let-01f device, one of said spark-controlling devices being normally in action and the other normally out of action but operative when in action for releasing said quick letofi device earlier in the cycle than said first controlling device and at such a point as will bring about the reversal of the engine.

5. In an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, a piston and a piston-rod, the combination with a sparking device, of a quick-acting let-off device for producing the spark at said sparking device, a latch controlled by the crank-shaft for setting said let-off device, a trip for releasing said latch, and means normally out of action for releasing said let-off device earlier in the cycle than said latch and at such a point as to bring about the reversal of the engine.

6. In an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, a piston and a pistonrod, the combination with a sparking device, of a quick-acting let-off device for producing the spark at said sparking clevice, a latch controlled by the crank-shaft for setting said let-off device, a trip for releasing said latch, a second latch normally out of action for holding said let-off device in its set position, and means for releasing said second latch earlier in the cycle than said first latch and at such a point as to bring about the reversal of the engine.

7. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a sparking device, of op erating means for normally causing a regular operation of thesparking device, a controlling device for causing the interruption of said regular operation of the sparking device by said means, and a part on said controlling device engaged by said operating means to cause the occurrence of a spark at a point earlier in the stroke of the engine than is caused by said means in normal operation.

8. In an internal combustion engine, the combination With a sparking device, of operating means for normally causing a regular operation of the sparking device, a controlling device co-acting With said operating means for causing the interruption of said regular operation of the sparking device by said means, and the occurrence of a spark at a point earlier in the stroke of the engine than is caused by said means in the normal operation, means for causing said devices to coact at will, and automatic means Which restores the normal sparking of the engine.

9. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, operating means normally causing the operation of the sparking device at a certain point in the stroke of the engine, means for interrupting the normal operation of said device for a predetermined fixed portion of a revolution, and causing the occurrence of a spark at an earlier point during said interruption.

10. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, operating means normally causing the operation of the sparking device at a certain point in the stroke of the engine, means for interrupting the normal operation of said device for a predetermined fixed portion of a revolution and causing the occurrence of a spark at an earlier point during said interruption, and means for restoring the normal operation of said operating means.

11. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, operating means normally causing the operation of the sparking device at a certain point in the stroke of the engine, means for interrupting the normal operation of said device for a predetermined fixed portion of a revolution and causing the occurrence of a spark at an earlier point during said interruption, means normally holding said last named interrupting means in in0perative position, and means for releasing said holding means at Will. 7

12. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device having a movable element, and a fixed element, means for regularly operating said sparking device to cause sparking at a certain point in the stroke, means for stopping the operation for a fixed portion of a revolution of the engine, and automatic means for causing an earlier spark When said engine has completed said portion of a revolution.

13. I11 a gas engine, a sparking devlce, an

operating shaft for the same, a device on the shaft Which normally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a device on a fixed part of the engine for interrupting the normal operation of the operating device, and means whereby an earlier spark is caused following said interruption.

14. In a gas engine, a sparking device, an operating shaft for the same, a device on the shaft which normally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a latch for interrupting the normal operation of said operating device, and means on a fixed part of the engine frame for controlling said latch.

15. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, an operating shaft for the same, a latch on the shaft Which normally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a second latch on a fixed part of the machine for interrupting the regular operation of said first latch, and means controlling said second latch to cause it to interrupt the regular operation of the first latch at Will.

16. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, an operating shaft for the same, a latch on the shaft Which normally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a second latch on a fixed part of the machine for interrupting the regular operation of said first latch, and a third latch normally maintaining the second latch in inoperative position.

17 In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, an operating shaft for the same, a latch on the shaft Which normally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a second latch on a fixed part of the machine for interrupting the regular operating of said first latch, and a third latch normally maintaining the second latch in inoperative position, and means for releasing said second latch at will.

18. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, an operating shaft for the same, a latch on the shaft Whichnormally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a second latch on a fixed part of the machine for interrupting the regular operation of said first latch, and a third latch normally maintaining the second latch in inoperative position, and means for momentarily releasing said second latch at Will.

19. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, an operating shaft therefor, a device associated With the shaft which normally operates the sparking device at regular intervals, a second device associated With the first for interrupting the regular opera tion of said first device, a latch normally retaining said second device to prevent intermally causes the operation of said sparking device to cause sparking of the engine at regular intervals, a thlrd device for 1nterrupting the normal operation of the first device, means causing the operation of the third device, and means whereby the third device is restored to inoperative position by the second device.

21. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, a second device which normally causes the operation of said sparking device to cause sparking of the engine at regular intervals, a third device for interrupting the normal operation of the first device, means causing the operation of the third device, means whereby the third device is restored to inoperative position by the second device, and means holding the same in inoperative position.

22. In an internal combustion engine, a sparking device, a constantly moving device which normally operates the sparking device to cause sparking at regular intervals, a device adapted to be moved to interrupt the regular operation of the sparking device by the constantly moving device, means for operating said last named device at will, and means whereby said device is automatically restored to normal by the said constantly moving device.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 12th day of January, A. D. 1910.

CHARLES B. BALDWIN.

Witnessesi K. M. CAssIDY, CHAS F. DANE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

